Free On the Line (Special Ops) by Capri Montgomery

none of them were the guy. She pulled the other folder over and looked through those with the same results. She sighed heavily as she pushed yet another folder away and then she pulled the third folder over and there he was, right there on the top of the pile. She didn’t know who the other guy was, but that one was definitely him.
     
    “That’s him,” she said.
     
    “Are you sure?” Micah asked.
     
    “Of course I am sure. He only looked at me as if he were ready to kill me…either that or he liked what he saw. It’s kind of hard to tell when I’m worried about the unconscious woman in his arms.”
     
    Alex growled low. Was she wrong to speak her mind? Maybe. Some guys didn’t like that, but she was not a wallflower when it came to standing up for herself—just when it came to getting the man she wanted apparently.
     
    “Who is it?” Alex’s voice was low and gravely.
     
    “Panhsj,” Jet said. “Ammon’s first lackey,” he nodded. “Damn,” he grumbled. “Pardon my language, ma’am.”
     
    “I assumed you meant dam of the three letter persuasion and not the four letter kind,” she smiled. “But if you call me ma’am again we’re going to have a problem.”
     
    He smiled at her and shook his head. “Nice woman,” he winked at Alex.
     
    “Old friend,” Alex said which reminded Zahara once again where she stood with him. A woman could dream, but that didn’t mean her dreams would ever come true.
     
    “Bad guy?” Zahara pointed to the picture. She was even more worried now.
     
    “Very. Preston killed his brother on a previous mission, many years ago, and back in his military days, not while doing the search and rescue thing. Iran,” Jet said and the others nodded as if they knew something. She didn’t know anything more than what she currently knew and that was that Ariana seemed to be in some serious trouble here.
     
    “Then they’ll kill her?” Zahara said. “Why else would they take her?”
     
    “No,” Micah shook his head. “Preston and Ariana’s marriage ended well before the mission that led to Ammon’s brother’s death. Right now the only way you would know the two were married was if you either knew them way back when, either of them talked about it with anybody, or you searched way back in the marriage public record documents. I don’t think they know or they would have gone after her years ago.”
     
    “Yeah, and why would anybody, if they did go through that much trouble to find out more about his life over eighteen years ago, actually go after her. He hasn’t seen her in years.” Alex added.
     
    “Except,” Natalia stepped into the conference room; “the fact that Preston has been secretly going to her shows. He sits in the back and watches, but he always leaves and he never goes to her. I don’t know how they would pick up on that. There are so many other dancers that he could be there for anybody. He’s there for her so maybe the look on his face when she dances…maybe that’s the giveaway.”
     
    It would seem maybe this Preston guy still had a thing for Ariana just as she had a thing for him too…unless he was just trying to keep up with how well, or unwell, his ex was doing. There were guys like that out there who would keep tabs for malicious reasons, but she didn’t think Preston was one of those guys.
     
    “Then it could be…” The pounding on the front doors stopped Jet mid sentence.
     
    “Cops,” Zahara said. “They’re the only people I know who knock like that. I did leave while they were talking with the security guard. They didn’t tell me I could leave. I flagged down a guy getting ready to park. He probably had a room there. If he had a room there then he went back and he told on me. They didn’t exactly give me permission to leave, but they didn’t exactly look as if they believed me much either.”
     
    Jet nodded. “Natalia, be real slow about making your way around the corner to the reception area. Be real